Bottas "fully recharged" for F1 title fight after 'disconnect'

Valtteri Bottas is prepared to get his Formula 1 title bid back on track after a disappointing run of races has seen him drop to third in the drivers’ championship.

Bottas started the season strongly with a win in Austria, but things haven’t gone to plan since with the Finn finishing outside of the points at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix following a late puncture, while he was beaten by Max Verstappen in Hungary and Spain after slow getaways off the line on the opening lap.

Bottas has never won at Spa-Francorchamps but he’s going into this weekend  "fully recharged" after a week’s break following the second triple-header of 2020.

“Yes, it was a disappointing weekend and there are now a few races that just didn’t go my way and I was far from what the goal was, so it’s disappointing when you have all in for the sport, to try and achieve your goals," Bottas said. “But the most important thing is to bounce back and reset and find the right mindset. I definitely had a bit of a disconnect, as we had a weekend off, so I’m fully recharged and I’m ready to be here again and try to be at my best level.

“I’m in good spirits and looking forward to spending my birthday tomorrow on track, in one of the best tracks in the world and with, probably, the best racing car in the world. Things are good!”

Pirelli has opted for softer tyre compounds for this weekend at Spa - the same as it did at the 70th Anniversary GP where Mercedes suffered severe blistering, ultimately paving way for a Verstappen victory.

With cooler conditions expected this weekend, Bottas expects that to play into Mercedes’ favour more than if it was going to be hot.

“Again, it’s such a different track from the previous tracks where we had tyre issues, so it’s so difficult to predict,” Bottas added. “But with the softer compound, it’s maybe a bit more difficult to make it with one-stop, even though you can always try to qualify on the medium.

“I have no answer, I guess we’ll find out – at least temperatures are looking pretty cool, which is maybe not a bad thing for us. In any case I have no doubt Red Bull will be there in race pace, as they’ve been pretty good with the tyres  No matter what’s the temperature, I’m sure they’re going to be a threat as well.”